This is an (not cheap import copy) USAF LOCKHEED-MARTIN SKUNK WORKS USAF LOCKHEED SPY PLANE 9th SRW Strategic Reconnaissance Wing vêlkrö INSIGNIA PATCH. You will receive the item as shown in the first photo. Please note that there are color variations due to different settings on different PCs and different Monitors. The color shown on your screen may not be the true color. Personal checks are welcomed. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale.
Its mission is to organize, train and equip the Air Force's fleet of U-2R Dragonlady, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and MC-12 Liberty aircraft for peacetime intelligence gathering, contingency operations, conventional war fighting and Emergency War Order support. It is also assigned T-38 Talons for U-2 pilots to maintain flight hours due to limited U-2 aircraft.
Its 9th Operations Group is a descendant organization of the 9th Group (Observation), one of the 13 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II. The 4080th SRW moved from Laughlin AFB, Texas to Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona on 1 July 1963. During this move they had a small group of people assigned/attached who were working on the classified programme "Lightning Bug" which were photo reconnaissance drones.
On 31 December 1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the order for the 4080th SRW to support the reconnaissance effort in South Vietnam. The wing had been at Davis Monthan for less than a year. They moved a detachment of three 4028th SRS U-2E aircraft (#347, #370 & #374) to Bien Hoa Air Base to supplement the tactical reconnaissance being undertaken by the F-101s. The Bien Hoa operation was designated as Operating Location-20 (OL-20), under the code names "Lucky Dragon" for the 4028th SRS's U-2E Dragon Lady, and "Blue Springs" for the DC-130/Ryan AQM-34 Firbee drone detachment operation.
The DC-130/Drone operation originally deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa before being re-positioned at Bien Hoa. In July 1965 this drone detachment became the 4025th Reconnaissance Squadron as the squadron number was reactivated. The 4025th originally being the RB-57D unit, and still used the "Black Knights" emblem from their previous role with the RB-57D although officially they were not supposed to.
Initially the three U-2s deployed to Vietnam on 11 February 1964 flying to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii and then on to Clark Air Base in the Philippines on 12 February The U-2s were only Clark but only for a short time, as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was not told of the U-2 coming to the Philippines and was so disturbed that he gave the USAF, 72 hours to get the "Spy Planes" out of the country. The aircraft were quickly moved to Andersen AFB in Guam, and finally after some weeks of inactivity to Bien Hoa as OL-20 on 5 March with operations starting also most immediately.
These flights were to start with restrictions in the areas of operations as there was still a CIA U-2 in the theatre of operation. The CIA was covering the flights over Communist China and North Vietnam from Takhli RTAFB, Thailand and these could be still classed as a civilian flight if one was downed. The Americans were still at the time only "Advisors" at this point in the Vietnam War. This changed and SAC took on the role left by the CIA's Detachment G at Takhli withdrawing their aircraft and operations on 24 April.
The U-2’s began operations to gather intelligence on North Vietnam – initially known as "Lucky Dragon" this project was renamed 'Trojan Horse', then 'Olympic Torch', 'Senior Book' and finally 'Giant Dragon'. The sorties involved flying along North Vietnam and Chinese borders, generally gathering SIGINT, The U-2 flights also monitored the roads and trails from North Vietnam that were being used to send both weapons and personnel into South Vietnam and the surrounding states of Laos and Cambodia. They also supplied the target data for the forthcoming deployment of the B-57 Canberra tactical bombers to South Vietnam.
As the war progressed the U-2's had to move to operating at higher altitudes as first the Mig-17 and then MiG-21s were introduced making flights at medium altitude a risky business. Also the introduction of SAM-2 missiles by the North Vietnamese necessitated the careful planning of flight routes to bypass these hot spots.
The 4080th was a SAC major command controlled (MAJCON) wing, and in order to retain the lineage of its MAJCOM 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCON wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate inactive Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history. As a result, the 4080th SRW designation was discontinued and its mission, equipment and personnel transferred to the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in June 1966. Its 4028th SRS, flying U-2s was replaced by the 349th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and the 4025th SRS, with its DC-130 Hercules aircraft and BQM-24 Firebee drones, was replaced by the 350th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron..
Your original SSI shades of color may vary from different US-Made batch/location and/or PC settings. You will receive the item as shown in the first photo. Other items in other pictures are available from my eBay Store. They will make a great addition to your SSI Shoulder Sleeve Insignia collection. You find only US Made items here, with the same LIFETIME warranty. I will send replacement patch if you return the damaged patch under normal use. **eBay REQUIRES ORDER BE SENT WITH TRACKING, PLEASE SELECT USPS 1ST CLASS SERVICE w/TRACKING** **eBay REQUIRES ORDER BE SENT WITH TRACKING, PLEASE SELECT USPS 1ST CLASS SERVICE w/TRACKING**
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